Clinton Friend Gets Top DNC Job

Feb. 4, 2001 -- Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe, having vowed to make his party more aggressive, is keeping up the tough talk a day after being elected.

"You've got to start with a bang," McAuliffe said today on NBC's Meet the Press, referring to his acceptance speech at the party's conference in Washington, during which he questioned the legitimacy of President George W. Bush's electoral victory. "At the end of the day if all the votes were counted in Florida, Al Gore would be president today and George Bush would be back in Austin."

On Saturday, McAuliffe promised to challenge the Bush White House at every turn and help equip state parties with the resources needed to get out the vote, win elections and regain control of Congress.

"We will transform the anger about Florida into energy about politics," McAuliffe told the DNC delegates. We will prove there is victory after denial, democracy after Florida … justice after the United States Supreme Court. We will give the American people a Congress that they can be proud of, and we will show George Bush the door in 2004."

Today McAuliffe reiterated his assertions, saying, "the Supreme Court stopped the counting of the votes, and if they'd let the count go on, Al Gore would have got the necessary votes."

Still, McAuliffe said, "I'm not fighting the election. We need to make sure that people understand what happened in the 2000 election."

Rival Jackson Withdraws

McAuliffe, 43, best known as a prolific fund-raiser for BillClinton, won election by voice vote hours after his rival,former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson, withdrew from the race.Jackson's supporters conceded early Saturday that he did not havethe votes to beat McAuliffe.

"We've been in this stuff long enough so we can count," saidAl Edwards, a Texas legislator who is chairman of the DNC's BlackCaucus. "Terry had the votes."

The caucus had supported Jackson, 62, the first black mayor of amajor Southern city.

"I'm more interested in fighting Republicans than in having usfight each other," Jackson told the crowd in a hotel ballroom ashe introduced McAuliffe. Jackson will serve as chief of the party'snew Voting Rights Institute and also direct party-building efforts.

McAuliffe said Jackson will use his skills as an organizer andadvocate to "help us move forward on the single most criticalissue facing all voters — ensuring that every vote is counted."

Rev. Walter E. Fauntroy, a former congressional delegate fromthe District of Columbia and head of the National Black LeadershipRoundtable, said Jackson's role is vital.

"George W. Bush is in the White House on the margin ofAfrican-American voters whose votes were not counted," he said.Blacks voted against the Republican Bush by a 9-1 margin in theNovember election.

Party Members Praise Agreement

Party members praised the agreement between McAuliffe andJackson.

"The bottom line is, we realized what we wanted to do is electDemocrats in the years ahead," said Carroll G. Robinson, a memberof Houston's city council. He said the party will get "two for theprice of one — two national leaders of stature."

On Friday, a party committee unanimously defeated a proposal tocontinue the system of having a national chairman, the business jobheld by one-time Indiana Democratic party leader Joe Andrew, and ageneral chairman, the political job held by Ed Rendell, a formerPhiladelphia mayor.

McAuliffe said Democrats would beat Republicans inlocal elections before the year is out.

"That's my mission: to win elections. And to win elections, wemust create the best run, the best managed, the best organized andthe best funded political party in America."

McAuliffe, known for his upbeat personality and enthusiasm, is aone-time investment banker who made a fortune in home building,telecommunications and title insurance. He was also a partner insuccessful lobbying firm.

McAuliffe has also become an important member of Clinton's innercircle — both politically and personally.

He was finance chairman for Clinton's 1996 re-election campaign,raising $50 million.

McAuliffe headed the effort to raise $125 million for theClinton presidential library in Arkansas and advised Hillary RodhamClinton when she was first considering a run for the Senate fromNew York. He later raised money for her successful Senate bid, aswell as the Clintons' legal defense fund.

McAuliffe Turned Down DNC Post in 1996

After the 1996 election, Clinton asked McAuliffe to lead the DNC, but McAuliffe turned him down, in part, it was said, because ofMcAuliffe's high visibility. A well-publicized McAuliffe memo wasblamed by many for the access that a few donors had to the WhiteHouse.

But he remained a close friend of Clinton, often joining him forweekend golf foursomes. In 1999, McAuliffe offered $1.35 million ascollateral to guarantee the money the Clintons borrowed to buytheir $1.7 million Westchester County, N.Y., home. The couple laterfinanced the purchase themselves after the arrangement came underfire from Republicans and watchdog groups.

House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt said McAuliffe would do agreat job.

"He'll show that, yes, he's a good fund-raiser, but he's muchmore than that — leadership is what the party needs, and he'sgoing to bring it," said Gephardt, D-Mo.

In his acceptance speech, McAuliffe called local organizing"the hand-to-hand combat of American politics." He said the DNC"will invest in grass-roots organizing as never before."

Edwards, the Texas lawmaker, said he will keep McAuliffe true tohis word.

"I'm going to work with Terry," Edwards said. "(But) I'mgoing to hold his feet to the fire."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.